The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?
Psalm 118:6
Psalm 118 was written in the context of hostility. The unnamed psalm writer was facing threats from his enemies, who hated him and sought to kill him. But the Lord rescued […]

I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the LORD.
Psalm 116:17
Psalm 116 celebrates God’s goodness. The psalmist has experienced God’s grace in manifold expressions. God has heard his prayers (116:1). God delivered him from death (116:3-6), guided his steps (116:8-9), and freed him from […]

Tremble!
READ Psalm 114:1-8
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob.
Psalm 114:7
One Saturday morning when I was a teenager, my friend Mike and I rode our bikes to our school in order to play handball. The school was deserted, and we had our pick of the outdoor […]

The Seven Last Words of Christ for Holy Week: The First Word
READ Luke 23:1-34
”Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34
The seven last “words” of Christ are, in actuality, seven sentences spoken by Jesus from the cross. They are found in the four biblical Gospels: Matthew/Mark (1); Luke (3); John […]

The Foundation of Wisdom
READ Psalm 111:1-10
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom.
All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.
Praise him forever!
Psalm 111:10
Wisdom seems to be on the wane these days. Our society tends to value that which is trendy, spectacular, and instantaneous. Thus we tend to neglect wisdom, which is […]

What Should You Do When People Speak Poorly of You?
I love them, but they try to destroy me with accusations
even as I am praying for them!

Psalm 109:4
Psalm 109 is David’s prayer when people around him were speaking poorly of him. Their criticisms, though untrue, were nevertheless painful (109:2). David’s pain was increased by the fact […]

A Cry for Help
READ Psalm 107:1-43
“LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress.
Psalm 107:6
Psalm 107 reminds us to “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!” (107:1). The bulk of the psalm consists of four vignettes that illustrate God’s saving grace, in response to which we owe thanks […]

Seek the Lord
READ Psalm 105:1-45
Search for the LORD and for his strength;
continually seek him.
Psalm 105:4
Psalm 105 calls God’s people to give him thanks and praise in response to his “wonders” (105:5). The bulk of the Psalm highlights God’s special work with the Israelites, beginning with the covenant with Abraham and focusing on the exodus […]

The Lord Remembers We Are Only Dust
READ Psalm 103:1-22
The LORD is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
Psalm 103:13-14
Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, a day for Christians to focus on our mortality and broken humanity. Those who […]

A Life of Integrity at Home
READ Psalm 101:1-8
I will be careful to live a blameless life—
when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home.
Psalm 101:2
In Psalm 101, David pledges to live an exemplary life. He will praise the Lord, not only with his songs, but with his […]

A Time to Be Quiet and a Time to Speak
READ Mark 14:41-65
Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are […]

Above All Gods
READ Psalm 97:1-12
For you, O LORD, are supreme over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
Psalm 97:9
In 1977, as the praise and worship wave was just beginning to crash on the beaches of the American church, Pete Sanchez, Jr., took Psalm 97:9 in the King James version and wrote a […]

The Soul of Worship
READ Psalm 95:1-11
Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the LORD our maker,
for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
Psalm 95:6-7
Psalm 95 gives us one of the fullest and clearest pictures of worship in all of Scripture. The psalm begins with […]

Mightier Than the Waves
READ Psalm 93:1-5
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the LORD above is mightier than these!
Psalm 93:4
When I lived in Southern California, I occasionally enjoyed body surfing at the beach. It was a thrill to get out in the surf, to swim as fast […]« Previous Entries